Corina

About Corina

Corina is a form of Corinna, a Greek name meaning “maiden.” It is used in Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German, with a clear three-syllable rhythm. Ancient poetry and the sporting career of tennis player Corina Morariu give the name connections across very different periods.

Meaning and international forms

Corinna represents Greek Korinna, formed from kore, meaning “maiden.” Corina keeps that origin while using a single n in the middle.

The name appears as a regular form in Romanian, Spanish, and Portuguese and as a variant in German. Corinna and French Corinne belong to the same broader family.

In Spanish, Corina is approximately koh-REE-nah, with stress in the middle. The c is hard, and the final a remains a clear vowel.

The single-n spelling does not introduce a new meaning. Its difference from Corinna is chiefly a matter of form within a name family that has travelled across several languages.

Ancient poetry

Corinna was an ancient Greek lyric poet associated with Tanagra in Boeotia. The date of her life is disputed, so she cannot be placed confidently in one century.

A surviving fragment addresses the women of Tanagra, connecting her poetry with an audience in her home community. The opening announces a song for these local women.

The Roman poet Ovid also used Corinna for the principal female figure in the Amores. That literary use is a separate association from the Greek poet, although both helped keep the name familiar in classical writing.

The name later appeared in Robert Herrick’s seventeenth-century poem Corinna’s Going a-Maying, adding an English literary chapter to the older Greek and Roman ones.

Corina Morariu and tennis

American tennis player Corina Morariu reached the number-one doubles ranking on April 3, 2000. Her WTA career record includes thirteen doubles titles.

That achievement gives Corina a prominent modern sporting bearer. The spelling appears in international tournament records as a full first name, distinct from Corinna and Corinne.

Morariu won the Wimbledon women’s doubles title with Lindsay Davenport in 1999. In the final they defeated Mariaan de Swardt and Elena Tatarkova 6–4, 6–4. That championship came before Morariu reached the top doubles ranking the following spring.

The ancient poet, Ovid’s literary figure, and Morariu belong to separate histories. Together they show how the same name family has remained visible in writing and in contemporary public life.

American popularity

Corina’s largest annual American total for girls was 399 in 1992, when it ranked #583. In 2025 it was given to 37 girls and ranked #3,920.

Its strongest American year preceded Morariu’s rise to the top doubles ranking. The name already had an established record before that particular sporting achievement.

How popular is Corina?

In 2025, Corina ranked #3,920 among girls in the United States, with 37 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1886; its largest annual count was 399 in 1992. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.